Healthy Schools, Healthy Children?

1. Healthy Schools, Healthy Children? “Linking good health, behaviour and achievement through a whole school approach”. Choctra Meeting 16th-19th Sept `10

2. Healthy Schools Programme • The Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP) is a joint initiative between DCSF and Department of Health (DH) - which promotes a whole school / whole child approach to health. The Programme has existed since 1999. It is recognised as a key delivery mechanism in the Children’s Plan (DCSF 2007) and in Healthy Weight, healthy Lives (DH 2008) – 21st Century White Paper reference. • Healthy Schools is intended to deliver real benefits in respect of: • Improvement in health and reduced health inequalities; • Raised pupil achievement; • More social inclusion; and, • Closer working between health promotion providers and education establishments • We want all children and young people to be healthy and achieve at school and in life. We believe that by providing opportunities at school for enhancing emotional and physical aspects of health. In the longer term, this will lead to improved health, reduced health inequalities, increased social inclusion and raise achievement for all.

3. Why Get involved? • Healthier children do better in learning and in life. By enabling children and young people to make positive changes to their behaviour regarding health and well-being, schools can help them reach their full potential in terms of achievement and fulfilment. They can also encourage good habits which will benefit children and young people both now and in the future. • The Government’s vision of the 21st century school has at its heart the need to address elements of the lives of children and young people, with a particular emphasis on health and well-being. • Both by achieving National Healthy School Status (NHSS) and through participating in the Healthy Schools enhancement model, schools can develop the wider thinking and planning they will need to do to achieve better outcomes around health and well-being for children and young people. • The enhancement model will provide a particular focus on providing targeted support for children and young people who are most at risk.

4. The whole school approach • Healthy Schools is not just about children and young people, it is about involving the whole school community. And it is not just what happens in the curriculum but about the entire school day • The whole school approach is central to Healthy Schools. By adopting this approach, schools ensure full engagement with the whole school community and can secure sustained improvements. • There are 10 elements to the whole school approach: • Leadership, management and managing change • Policy development • Curriculum planning and work with outside agencies • Teaching and learning • School culture and environment • Giving children and young people a voice • Provision of support services for children and young people • Staff’s continuing professional development (CPD) needs, health and welfare • Partnerships with parents/carers and local communities • Assessing recording and reporting children and young people’s achievement.

5. Healthy Schools and Every Child Matters • Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a comprehensive approach to the well-being of children and young people from birth to age 19. It places national outcomes for children and young people firmly at the centre of all policies and approaches involving children’s services. • The five outcomes for children and young people are: • Be healthy • Stay safe • Enjoy and achieve through learning • Make a positive contribution to society • Achieve economic well-being. • Every Child Matters expects organisations which provide services to children and young people, including schools, to work together in more integrated and effective ways. It also encourages children and young people to have more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively. • There are direct links between the criteria for NHSS, the Healthy Schools enhancement model and the five Every Child Matters outcomes. • In addition, local authorities have to demonstrate their progress in helping schools achieve NHSS through the comprehensive area assessment (CAA).

6. The Four Themes • The National Healthy Schools Programme has four themes.The four core themes relate to both the school curriculum and the emotional and physical learning environment in school. Each theme includes a number of criteria that schools need to fulfil in order to achieve National Healthy School Status. Although each theme covers a different area, they are all delivered using the whole school approach so the basic requirements are the same.

7. Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, including SRE and drugs education • PSHE contributes significantly to all five national outcomes for children and young people: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic wellbeing • PSHE provides children and young people with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their lives

8. Healthy Eating • Healthy eating contributes significantly to the being healthy national outcome for children and young people • Children and young people have the confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding to make healthy food choices • Healthy and nutritious food and drink is available across the school day • Has an identified member of the Senior Leadership Team to oversee all aspects of food in schools • The person’s role in relation to healthy eating is known by staff and published in all school material.

9. Physical Activity • Physical activity contributes significantly to the being healthy national outcome for children • Children/young people are provided with a range of opportunities to be physically active • They understand how physical activity can help them to be more healthy, and how physical activity can improve and be a part of their every day life • There is a named person in the school who leads policy and practice in the development of Physical Activity and is known to all staff in that role. This will often be the PE Co-ordinator or Head of PE, BUT it must be clear that the person concerned understands that Physical Activity is wider than PE.

10. Emotional Health and Well-being, including bullying • Emotional health and wellbeing contributes significantly to all five national outcomes for children and young people: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic wellbeing • The promotion of positive emotional health and wellbeing helps children and young people to understand and express their feelings, build their confidence and emotional resilience, and therefore their capacity to learn • Identifies vulnerable individuals and groups and establishes appropriate strategies to support them and their families • The school must be able to show how it has considered vulnerable groups with regard to ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality and disability – in regard to both health and education issues. The school should be able to identify how it is using the pastoral support system, care plans, specialist input and the index for inclusion.